The Hard Truth About Sunshine by Sawyer Bennett

Despite having narrowly escaped death's clutches, Christopher Barlow is grateful for nothing. His capacity to love has been crushed. He hates everyone and everything, completely unable to see past the gray stain of misery that coats his perception of the world. It's only after he involuntarily joins a band of depressed misfits who are struggling to overcome their own problems, does Christopher start to re-evaluate his lot in life.

What could they possibly learn from one another? How could they possibly help each other to heal? And the question that Christopher asks himself over and over again... can he learn to love again?

He's about to find out as he embarks upon a cross country trip with a beautiful woman who is going blind, a boy with terminal cancer, and an abuse victim who can't decide whether she wants to live or die.

Four people with nothing in common but their destination. They will encounter adventure, thrills, loss and love. And within their travels they will learn the greatest lesson of all.

The hard truth about sunshine...

Warning: This book deals with some tough issues including suicide and sexual abuse.

Pet’s $0.02

I came into this book eyes wide open.

All I can say is, Sawyer Bennett….I hate you and I love you so much right now.

This book gutted me. Completely.

I thought I knew what I was getting into. It’s not like she hid that this book dealt with some incredibly heavy issues. But fuck… it hit way harder than I ever expected.

Now, I love a good cry. And honestly, I haven’t had a good cry in a while, so I grabbed my tissues, I got comfortable on the couch and dove in, thinking I had this…

I so didn’t have this…not even close.

I loved every single one of these characters. I know that Christopher was an asshole at the beginning. I know that each of them had their own issues. I know that I can’t really understand what any of them were going through, because I’ve never been in their position. But I do know that Bennett puts you right into the story in a way that makes you feel like you do. If you come away from this book not empathizing with these characters, I have serious concerns.

There are so many things that made this book stand out for me. How some of the characters who were so strong in the beginning showed the greatest vulnerability by the end. That sometimes those who usually offered their shoulder and strength to face demons were the ones who needed the others the most. I connected with Christopher and the way that Bennett wrote him. How she expressed the ways in which he lied to himself daily. I cried because sometimes even doing your best to help others isn’t enough and I hated how this showed that life is rarely fair.

This is not what I’ve come to expect from Sawyer Bennett and all I can say is well done. And while I don’t want her to quit writing the romance she has come to be known for, I do hope she continues to write more stories like these. Because this book is real and heartfelt and will stick with your for a long time.

The official trailer for Passionflix's The Matchmaker's Playbook is here!

The Matchmaker's Playbook, tadapted from the book written by #1New York Times bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken, starring Nick Bateman, Caitlin Carver and Tyler Johnson and directed by Tosca Musk, premieres on Passionflix March 15th!